'I have weird pancake ears and I look like an egg', Fearne Cotton and co reveal what lies beneath their make-up

They work in a business where looks mean everything – so how did six celebrities fare when asked to pose without a jot of make-up? In a ground-breaking move, Fearne Cotton, Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, Myleene Klass, Carol Smillie, Alex Best and Claudia Winkleman ditched the make-up to reveal their true, natural beauty.

FEARNE COTTON

Despite being just 26, Fearne Cotton finds being photographed bare-faced nerve-racking. ‘I look younger and more innocent without make-up. All that bothers me is the dark under my eyes.’ Her other body anxieties are less easy to cover up. ‘I have weird pancake ears that I try to hide, and I have a major issue with my forehead. I look like an egg!’ She’s been airbrushed before but usually just laughs about it.

The way Claudia Winkleman looks isn’t important to her. ‘I’ve never wanted anyone to think I was good-looking. I always wanted people to think I was clever or funny,’ says the 36-year-old TV presenter. She never wears make-up at home with her husband and two children, but admits being photographed without any was terrifying.

While one-time It-girl Tara Palmer-Tomkinson loves being airbrushed she says people often comment she’s prettier in real life. ‘There’s nothing real about anyone in pictures any more,’ says Tara, 36. The ex-cocaine addict had her nose rebuilt last year, but she still has plenty of body hang-ups. ‘I’m no beauty queen,my face is crooked, but I believe people’s imperfections make them beautiful.’

Alex Best likes wearing make-up. ‘I don’t mind people seeing me without make-up, but I prefer myself with,’ says Alex, 36. The former wife of George Best says the footballer used to hate her wearing make-up. ‘I like being able to create another you. I spend at least an hour on my face when I am going out to create a dramatic effect. Plus it disguises all the bad bits - like the crow’s feet around my eyes.'

Much as TV presenter Carol Smillie, 46, likes make-up, the Scottish star won’t wear itregularly. ‘What I love about make-up is that you can create a new person,’ she says. Smillie, who lives in Glasgow with her husband and three children, often goes to the shops without make-up on. ‘I know some women who have to look fantastic all the time, but I just couldn’t live with that pressure. It’s not me.’

Myleene Klass, 30, says: ‘In my Hear’Say days I wore make-up as a mask. But this is the skin we’re given. I’ve got freckles and a lazy eye.’ The TV presenter agreed to the shoot because she understands the pressure created by airbrushing.